THE LEWIS crime gang wielded machetes as they carried out a heroin and crack dealing operation.
Channel 5 followed detectives as they attempted to put a stop to the crime rampage which terrorised Norwich.
The Lewis line was responsible for selling 4.3kg of Class A drugs over the course of seven months, with an estimated street value of up to £300,000.
Young men armed with machetes engaged in a brutal turf war over drug deals.
Norfolk Constabulary’s County Line team began investigating in December 2021.
It was after they discovered a drugs phone was operating, supplying, and distributing crack cocaine and heroin using the brand name ‘Lewis’.
During Operation Hobble, officers gave chase to three suspected dealers who jumped out of a flat after the police knocked down the door.
In the flat of the probable ringleader, Liam Bolt, they found an 18-inch machete, while dealers threw £10 and £20 notes from the window of another tower block in a failed bid to cover their tracks.
In total eight people were jailed in November 2023 for more than 25 years, with another two also sentenced for their involvement.
EIGHT people were sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs as part of the county lines dealing gang.
They were:
Two people were jailed for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
They were:
Detective Constable Tim Lamb said: “There’s been some shocking fights and attacks, it’s terrifying communities.
“There’s been slashings, stabbing, maiming each other.”
The scale of the problem faced by Norwich was laid bare in January 2022 when 18-year-old dealer Joe Dix died after being stabbed seven times by a drugs gang.
Members of the “Lewis line” gang were based across Norfolk’s main city, Norwich.
Officers carried out a series of raids in 2022 at locations across the city and in nearby villages.
Surveillance showed that drug dealing was taking place out of a flat in Burleigh Tower, a block in the city where Nigel Bestford and Chloe Levy lived.
After the property was raided by police in January, the gang moved their dealing to a property in nearby Bowthorpe.
This was uncovered by detectives shortly after where three of the gang were arrested.
Further warrants were carried out in June, including at the Seaman Tower block in Norwich and an address in Wymondham.
Police: Suspect No 1 is on Channel 5, and can also be watched through their catch-up service My5.
The episode about the Lewis gang airs on Monday, September 2, 2024 at 9pm.
There are three series of the popular show, in which viewers get to follow officers as they piece together evidence to charge the key suspects in different cases.
